HURRICANE, Utah (FOX5) — Search teams have recovered the body of one of two women who vanished after being thrown from a jet ski at a southern Utah reservoir, state wildlife officials announced Thursday, as a Henderson man faces felony homicide charges in connection with the crash.
The victim was located around 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, and confirmed deceased, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. Search operations remain underway for the second missing woman.
The recovery comes a day after prosecutors in Utah’s 5th District Court in Washington County formally charged Antonio Omari Lewis, 23, with two second-degree felony counts of automobile homicide for negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, along with at least 5 misdemeanor and infraction boating violations.
According to an arrest affidavit, the incident unfolded around 4:21 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Sand Hollow State Park near Hurricane.
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Investigators said Lewis, a Henderson resident, was operating a personal watercraft on Sand Hollow Reservoir carrying two female passengers and a dog. Authorities said none of the three human riders were wearing life jackets.
Lewis told investigators that the two women had encouraged him to accelerate before he made a sharp left turn. A cross-wave struck the vessel, ejecting everyone on board—including the dog—into the water.
Neither female passenger resurfaced. An acquaintance of the victims told responding officers that one of the women was approximately 4.5 months pregnant with twins. It has not yet been confirmed which victim was recovered Thursday.
A bystander on another watercraft heard cries for help, spotted the empty jet ski without a key in the ignition, and pulled Lewis from the lake. Lewis told detectives he held onto one of the women for five to 10 seconds before letting go to stay afloat himself, drifting in and out of consciousness.
The dog was rescued by bystanders and brought safely to shore.
Witnesses told Hurricane Police detectives that Lewis had explicitly refused to wear a life jacket earlier that day because “he felt that he would look like a fool because he worked as a lifeguard.” Witnesses added that Lewis was denied access to another rental jet ski earlier in the afternoon after refusing to wear a personal flotation device.
Bystander cellphone video provided to investigators confirmed that none of the three riders wore personal flotation devices when leaving the shore. Witnesses reported that upon reaching land, Lewis stated the women were dead and said he wished to die as well.
State park rangers and search teams deployed sonar, drones, and aircraft for about 90 minutes Tuesday afternoon before shifting from rescue to recovery.
Rangers noted that Lewis smelled strongly of alcohol, had glossy, bloodshot eyes, and exhibited slurred speech. During field sobriety tests conducted on the tailgate of a patrol truck, Lewis displayed multiple signs of impairment and called the evaluation “stupid,” authorities said. He later admitted during an interview with State Bureau of Investigation agents that he had consumed multiple shots of tequila throughout the day.
After Lewis refused both a preliminary breath test and requests for a voluntary blood draw, officers obtained a judicial search warrant. Paramedics performed a blood draw at the scene, and samples were submitted to the state crime lab for toxicology testing.
In addition to the two counts of automobile homicide, the Washington County Attorney’s Office charged Lewis with:
- One class C misdemeanor count of navigation wakeless speed and proximity violation
- One class C misdemeanor count of failure to obey waterway markers
- Three class C misdemeanor counts of failure to wear a personal flotation device on a personal watercraft
- One infraction for an insufficient number of approved personal flotation devices on board (only one life jacket was found stowed in a compartment)
- One infraction for operating an unregistered vessel
- One infraction for an invasive mussel species violation (failing to display an aquatic invasive species decal and failing to complete the mandatory Utah boater education course)
Lewis was booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility early Wednesday morning.
Utah DNR officials extended their condolences to the victims’ family and friends Thursday and stated the investigation remains ongoing.
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